Thursday, 02 Aug 2007

"When you consume less, your lifestyle improves," says Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) in an interview with Grist and Outside. Using less energy "is not going to be a hair shirt you've got to wear," he insists. "The hair shirt is the one you're wearing today where you place your children in jeopardy, your climate, your planet." In the fourth in a series of interviews with presidential candidates, Dodd touts his plan for a corporate carbon tax, discusses his connection to Jacques Cousteau, and answers the question, "If George Bush were a plant or an animal, what kind of plant or animal would he be?" Tune in next week for interviews with Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, and the other Democratic presidential hopefuls.

Prints: Not Charming

Laser printers can emit high levels of unhealthy small particles, study says

Remember how computers were going to usher in the Paperless Office? We so should have done that. An Australian study has found that many laser printers emit high levels of small particles that can be harmful to human health, with the highest-emitting machines rivaling the small-particle pollution of cigarette smoke. "The health effects from inhaling ultra-fine particles ... can range from respiratory irritation to more severe illness such as cardiovascular problems or cancer," said Lidia Morawska of the Queensland University of Technology. The study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, found that particle emissions varied enormously depending on make, model, and age of the printer, as well as the type and age of the toner cartridge. Newer cartridges emit more particles, as does printing graphic-heavy files. Researchers still don't know what the particles are made of or exactly how they're produced, but they said governments should consider regulating emissions.

Are Those Bisphenol Genes You're Wearing?

New study confirms that bisphenol A can mess with animal genetics

Know what time it is? It's time to check in on bisphenol A, the chemical in many plastics that gets creepier by the day. Despite continuing claims by the chemical industry that products containing the compound -- which can include baby bottles, water bottles, toys, dental sealants, and food containers -- pose no health risk, a spate of recent studies suggests otherwise. A team from Duke University found that bisphenol A exposure in the womb put little mice babies at greater risk for obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Their results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, don't draw conclusions about human health, but they say the risks to humans should be reassessed. Meanwhile, in the journal Reproductive Toxicology, a team of 38 U.S. researchers says the estrogen-mimicking chemical is present in "virtually everybody" in the developed world, sometimes at levels shown to be dangerous in lab animals. The good news: the Duke team says folic acid offers protection. Eat that spinach!


The 2007 farm bill, laden with lots of the usual subsidies, is staggering successfully through Congress, disappointing advocates who had hoped for reform. It's also disappointing the Bush administration, which has threatened to veto it. Given that convoluted federal mess, how will the U.S. food system ever change? Tom Philpott, fresh from an eye-opening reporting trip to Iowa, says the answer is local politics -- and reports on one county's successes.

Heath Row

London airport owner seeks injunction against weeklong climate protest

We've got juicy legal goings-on from London, and while it's probably not true that all involved are wearing long, white wigs, we like to picture it that way. Here's the deal: in mid-August, an estimated 5,000 protesters will descend on London's Heathrow Airport for a weeklong Camp for Climate Action. BAA, the company that owns Heathrow, is not so keen on the plan, and has sought an injunction that would ban the camp. But the wording of the injunction was so broad it appeared to apply to 5 million members of environmental organizations in the country, restricting their travel to, from, or in the vicinity of the airport on public roads and public transport. That fuzziness has led to critiques from, among others, London Mayor Ken Livingstone ("someone there must be out of their skull") and the judge hearing the request ("I have to know what I am being asked to do"). It has been, says the protesters' lawyer, "a hopeless start to a hopeless application." The hearing should wrap on Friday.